Production Machining

APR 2018

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Helping Precision Machine Shops Be More ProducƟ ve and Profi table
20 PRODUCTION MACHINING :: APRIL 2018
To grow and profi t today, you have to work smarter. You have to relent-
lessly eliminate waste. PMPA is the way to expand your knowledge and
increase your capabilities in order to grow your business. Through daily
interaction with PMPA staff members, you have access to our expertise
on important issues. You're also able to tap the collective knowledge of
your peers: those who have "been there" and "done that."
Through the meetings, resources and online connections, reports and
more, we give you the tools to grow. We look at emerging markets and
let you know what's hot and what's not. PMPA programs help you un-
derstand your markets so you can make sense of the issues. And we
provide relevant information to help you make informed decisions.
Why Join
GROW!
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PMPA?
YOURCAREERFACTS.COM
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2
GREAT BLOGS!
hygiene, hand washing before eating, no snacks and no
smoking in operating areas, and separate lunchrooms from
operating areas are best practices to minimize exposure.
Welding or cutting operations that can cause a metal fume
provide a pathway for uptake through inhalation and should
be assessed for adequate ventilation and exposures moni-
tored. Time of exposure to workers around molten leaded
metals is also mandated and monitoring was required in
my experience in steelmaking meltshops and continuous
casting operations.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires
manufacturers to provide a safety data sheet for hazard iden-
tifi cation of materials that they produce.
Is this dangerous material? From the current GHS sheet for
Leaded Carbon steel bars from Republic Steel:
H302: Don't eat it. OK.
H372: Harmful through prolonged exposure. Check: What
is your exposure? What is the dose? How long?
P260: Don't breathe in dust or fumes. This is hard to do
from a solid piece of barstock.
P264: Wash hands. Check. Not exactly the scariest thing
you'll encounter today.
P270: Don't eat, drink, or smoke while using this product.
This is common sense.
P272: Isolate contaminated work clothing. This makes
sense, but again, how is the lead, which is in a solid form
in the metal, contaminating the clothing?
Bottom line: Don't eat it, don't cut leaded products with a
torch and limit exposure time if working around molten lead-
ed metals. Otherwise, remember your lessons from kinder-
garten and wash your hands, and don't eat or drink if you
aren't in the lunchroom.
Hope this helps.
Love, Dad
Letter to My Son About Lead in Machining
Continued from page 17